s/k: I'd really like to apologize to all my reviewers, who've been very, very very patient and haven't decapitated me yet… either way, I give you the last, (and properly last, this time) chapter of Tamers Game. I was surprised how hard it was to get the last three or four pages out of my head, like herding cats. (which is actually really difficult) The song I used is As Lovers Go by Dashboard Confessional, I don't own them. Anyways...please read, review, and then read the back stories, An Angels Wings (season 02) and Hidden in Plain Sight (season 03) Thank you to everyone who read this, you guys are amazing!

Ch. 19

Six days after they'd returned to the real world, the Tamers were starting to straighten out back into life. Henry and Kenta had thrown themselves into their school work so viciously that the pair were at least 1 unit ahead in nearly all their subjects. Suzi had avoided the other Tamers largely, spending time with friends her own age, and trying to settle herself back into normalcy. Takato and Jeri were spending more time together then they had before the groups' adventure. The comment the Scubamon had made about Takato looking after Jeri had struck a chord somewhere in the boy, he wasn't overly protective, but he made a point of knowing where she was a large percent of the time, watching out for her. Rika had retreated from the outside world significantly; anyone she didn't want talking to her was quickly sent packing with a smart remark and an insult.

She said, "I've got to be honest,
You're wasting your time if you're fishin' around here."

Sixth day in the hospital, Ryo was sure he was about to be tipped past all points of sanity. He'd been allowed by the staff to take short walks around his room, and that was it other then chaperoned bathroom runs. The same room, same company, same view, for six long, tedious days. He was to be released at 4:00pm that afternoon, and he was watching the clock and pacing like a caged lion. Abruptly, the hour hand and the minute hand clicked into place, Ryo smiled for the first time in six days. "Kazu!" He said, waking the other boy from his nap. "Kazu it's four, we can go."

Kazu sat up, hair disheveled. "What? Oh, brilliant, let's go then, shall we?"

Ryo, already dressed in a clean navy T-shirt and khaki pants smiled, amused. "Are you going to leave with your butt hanging out of your dress?"

Kazu raised an eyebrow and then looked down at what he was wearing. The standard blue hospital smock happily stared right back at him. "Oh…" Ryo snickered. "Tell you what." Kazu started, "how about you go, and I'll get dressed and see you at school or something, ok?"

Ryo smiled. "Thanks Kazu, that'd work just fine." Ryo nodded his thanks and then turned, walking right out the door and past the nursing station. Sarah shook her head and glanced at the clock. Ryo gave a little wave as he went towards the elevator, and Sarah rolled her eyes, going back to her paper work.

And I said, "You must be mistaken,
I'm not foolin',

Rika was wandering the park, school had just ended and she was avoiding going home. Her mother and grandma had been pretty good about not bothering her in the past few days, but it wasn't something that came naturally to her mother; the air in the house was getting thick and it felt suffocating. She'd taken to avoiding the house, and spending her afternoons sitting blankly on the roof of Guilmons' old hideout, or at the base of one of the large trees near it. She dropped her back pack by a tree and sat down beside it, tucking in one knee to rest her head on. So this is how it happens, there is no fairy tale ending, it's just a battered group of people pretending they've readjusted. Her train of thought flashed briefly on Kira and Meiko, and the other seemingly random adults that had appeared and come to their rescue. Were they alright? After six days was it possible that Ryo was with them? No, Meiko would have e-mailed Henry, and Henry would have told me… wouldn't've he?

She sighed, a low, sad, heavy sigh, and watched a squirrel as it warily skittered in front of her, stopping at the base of another tree, then scratching its way up among the branches. It bothered her that none of the other Tamers had said anything when she'd asked if they'd known where he was, if he was ok. They'd turned, their eyes downcast, and walked away. No one had said a word. Rika tightened her grip on her knee, clenching her jaw and glaring at the memory. Didn't they care? Didn't they care at all…?

Feeling isolated, Rika stayed as she was at the base of the tree. She was far enough off the path that those on it couldn't see her, and only their sounds filtered through to reach her ears. A cyclist went past, a group of some girls chattering to each other, two boys talking about who had the best deck of digimon cards... Sitting among the roots, she wondered if it had all been worth it. Going through the tedious process of understanding her digimon, her friends, if it all felt so wrong now that two parts of the whole were missing; one small, and aggravating, the other such a large piece that it was amazing the structure didn't collapse without it. Is it possible to care too much about someone? Care to the point where if they're not there, the whole house of cards comes down…? Where it warps your reality? It's a whole lot of work for a single piece to shift, and everything to fall. Then there you are, back where you started with a deck of cards.

this feelin' is real."

'It is for your own good.' Ryo was sick of hearing those words, that phrase had largely composed the conversations he and Nurse Sarah had had over the past six days. No one had been there to tell him that in the digital world and confine him to a bed when he was hurt, and in his opinion he'd come out of that just fine.

He'd left the hospital and gone straight to her house, hoping that she'd gone straight home from school. Her grandma answered the door, a tray of cookies in hand. Ryo's eyes widened at the sight of the cookies, chocolate batter with chocolate chips. He shook his head, Rika is more important then cookies. "Hi Mrs. Nonaka." He said, trying to ignore the smell of the woman's baking.

"Good afternoon Ryo, can I help you?" She asked sweetly, a little wrinkled smile on her face.

He nodded. "Yes, I was wondering if Rika was home."

Her eyes darkened, forehead wrinkling with the unnatural wrinkles of worry. "No, I'm sorry dear, she's not here. She's not come home from school yet."

"Alright," he replied, swallowing lightly and trying to think of where to look next, it was now just after five, and she really should have been home long ago. "Thank you." He nodded and turned to leave.

"Ryo, wait a second, will you?" The little woman called, he stopped where he was and pivoted around, not wanting to be rude. "Would you like a cookie or two? Perhaps if you take some for when you find Rika as well, I know she quite likes these ones."

He smiled, taking a few steps back towards her. "I'd love to, and I'll give some to Rika too." If I find her, his consciousness commented darkly, she's no amateur when it comes to hiding.

---

Rika hadn't moved; she knew it was getting late, and that she would have to go in no more then 15 minutes anyway, but she found herself apprehensive about leaving her green cocoon. As soon as she stepped out onto the bike path there'd be people, who didn't know, or didn't remember, or didn't care.

She tugged her backpack closer to her and unzipped one of the smaller pockets, taking out her D-arc and just looking at it. The familiar cool, blue and white plastic was patterned with the shifting shadows of the leaves in the canopy; she imagined that she too was probably covered in little spidery shadows.

When Ryo disappeared the world stopped turning, she thought sadly to herself, or at least… it should have.

---

When he found her, she was just emerging from the trees across from Guilmons' old hideout. It was the last place he'd though to look, the place he hadn't particularly wanted to go. After all, who wanted to return to the area they'd been seriously injured? It irked him when he realized that he was apprehensive about the place.

She stepped out of the wall of green, tucking her D-arc into her pocket. Before she moved out onto the path her head went up to check for any bikes or pedestrians, there wasn't any traffic, but what caught her eye made her freeze. "Ryo…"

Hearing her say his name was… incredible; an electric shock that ran down his spine. She was alright, mostly, there was a Band-Aid on her cheek, and her forearms were bruised, but she was ok. He didn't smile; he just strode across the concrete path and stood in front of her, looking her straight in the eye, at a complete loss for words.

She watched him, like some sort of cruel phantom as he stood there, a taunting trick of her imagination. His eyes were exactly like she remembered, he was close enough that she could smell him, a clean, outdoor smell, with hospital antiseptic hidden somewhere in the background. I'm going insane…

She said, 'You've gotta be crazy!

He raised his hand slowly, the tips of his fingers hovering just above her jaw line, afraid to actually touch her, as if she'd vanish and he'd be left staring at nothing. She brought her hand up. Her fingers only brushed his initially, but the contact with something solid was enough to make her grasp his hand tightly. "Why…" she whispered, her voice broken and a little higher then normal; her hand went limp and fell to her side. "Why didn't you call… or e-mail… or something… anything at all?" She asked; it was hard to stand so close to him and not touch him, not hug him, not kiss him. "You were bleeding so much… and you weren't there when the worlds separated… I thought you were lying in a ditch somewhere..." Her eyes were shiny, betraying how good she'd become at not crying. "I was so scared, you ass." Her eyelids covered their violet pupils, pushing the extra moisture to the outside corners. She lowered her head so he wouldn't see.

He couldn't move, he was stunned and ashamed. She must have been really scared, to get a reaction like this… I can't believe she hasn't yelled… or hit me yet. He caught a glimpse of her face before she dropped her head, trying vainly to hide the small tears that hadn't fallen. Her hand was held carefully still, refusing to grip his. He carefully brought his arms up a little and leaned forward, drawing her firmly into his embrace. "I was in the hospital; someone found me and called an ambulance." He murmured, relishing having her against him after not seeing her at all. "I'm so sorry I couldn't contact you Rika."

He felt her whole body tense up, where her hands rested on his shoulders her grip tightened. "You just drop off the face of the earth for six days, and you think 'sorry Rika' cuts it!" She cried as she tore herself out of his arms and pushing him back, not sure how to vent her hurt.

What do you take me for? Some kind of easy mark?'

Ryo watched her where she stood, trembling, fists clenched tightly at her sides. "Dammit Ryo…" She whispered, furious and hurt. Her eyes were still a little shiny, narrowed into violet slits that glared at him. She's like a little wildcat, he thought to himself, she's scared, I don't know why, but she's scared.

"No." He said quietly, staying where he was, resisting the urge to step towards her. "I don't think 'sorry' comes anywhere near what I want to say. It's an over-used word, and it hardly means anything in our society." His fingers were flexing slowly at his sides. "You're not on your own anymore Rika, I want to be with you, I want to make it stop hurting for you."

"No, you've got wits,
You've got looks,
You've got passion,
But I swear that you've got me all wrong."

She didn't know what was wrong with her, why she was being so volatile towards him? He didn't really deserve it, did he? More then anything she began to realize how terrified she was, that at the back of her mind, she was terrified that a single person could hold so much sway over her. She flinched when he took a step towards her, it seemed like she was watching a movie of herself as she reacted. Everything was mixed up, her body and her mind weren't functioning as they should have, and yet she was hypersensitive to everything around her.

All wrong…
All wrong…

Ryo wasn't sure what to do or say, she was perhaps a meter and a half away from him, looking as if she were ready to turn and run. "You're safe here Rika, you don't have to fight anymore."

But you've got me…

This time when he came towards her she didn't flinch, or try to run. She watched him as he got closer with wide violet eyes. His own deep blue gaze didn't move from her face, carefully gauging how far he could push her limits right then. When he was directly in front of her, her head tilted upwards to look at him, he lightly wrapped his arms around her waist, gently pulling her into him. He was careful not to grip her tightly, so that if she chose to pull away she'd be able to.

She just looked at him blankly, not sure what to do. He was there, he was holding her and he was real. He's here… his grip on her tightened, pressing her into him.

I'll be true, I'll be useful, I'll be cavalier

I'll be yours my dear

She hadn't returned his hug, but she hadn't pushed away either. She was pressed up against him, her forehead resting on his shoulder; quiet ragged breathes tickling his neck. It was confusing him, like she didn't know what to do, and so did nothing. She's still got that little section of ice, it's just been waiting, hiding… hiding that it's still frozen. He closed his eyes, trying to decide what to do.

I'll belong to you

If you just let me through

There was no real reason to deny it, she was as close to loving him as she'd come to anyone for a very, very long time. So why was it such a terrifying, painful moment? He was alive, alright, yet all she could do was stand there, like a limp rag doll.

He didn't say anything, what could he say? He just held her and hoped.

This is easy as lovers go
So don't, complicate it by hesitating

Slowly, carefully, as if she were afraid she'd shatter into a thousand shards of glass; she brought her arms up under his and wrapped them around his neck. Her grip stayed a little loose for a moment, then tightened fiercely. A tiny whimper reached Ryo's ears, and he kissed her neck lightly. It'll be ok… he thought, hugging her tighter.

This is wonderful as loving goes
This is tailor-made
What's the sense in waiting?

Rika didn't cry, it was something she'd become accustomed to. Other people cried, she didn't cry. She did utter the quietest possible whimper though, and snuggle deeper into his shoulder. He smelled good, and he wasn't trying to say anything cliché that was supposed to make all her problems vanish. Maybe… she heard her mind whisper, maybe the house of cards will stand a while longer…

I said, "I've gotta be honest,

I've been waiting for you all my life."

Ryo let himself smile a little. This is how it ends in all the books, right? His smile grew wider, the prince arrives and through some means, ends up holding the girl, and in the end it all works out. His thoughts momentarily touched on the darker side of things, the residue Tueno had left in their lives. Most of the time. He closed his eyes, and started to spin, holding Rika tighter as he did until her feet left the ground and she gripped him like a lifeline in a sea of black. As they spun the sunlight was filtered through the trees in a soft, green light. Anyone cycling or walking past had to smile at the pair of teens, laughing under the green boughs,

For so long I thought I was asylum bound,
But just seeing you makes me think twice.
And being with you here makes me sane.
I fear I'll go crazy if you leave my side.

Ryo lifted Rika away from himself for a second, managing to hold her so he could watch the flashing emerald background whip around behind her head. She braced her arms on his shoulders, feeling his muscle flex fluidly beneath her fingers. She laughed; a little laugh at first that bubbled out of her lips until she was crying with relief. The pair collapsed on the grass, the moment lived, and just watched the sky with a faint smile on their face.

You've got wits
You've got looks
You've got passion
But are you brave enough to leave with me tonight?

They watched the sky as it changed from the lighter blue to a brilliant orange, dotted with crisp, swirled pink and purple clouds, eventually fading into patches of stars on a deep navy blue. Most of the stars were blotted out by the orange glow from the street lamps, and the white lights still used by the workaholics in their office buildings surrounding the park; but somehow, even though there wasn't any music, and the stars weren't especially numerous, and the moon wasn't whole and bright… neither of them particularly cared.

Tonight…
Tonight…

Rika heard Ryo roll onto his side next to her. Silently she turned her head to look at him in the darkness. He smirked his signature smirk, and brushed his fingers down the side of her face.

You've got me…

She wiggled over until she could feel him next to her, and snuggled against him, leaning her head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. It was getting chilly, despite the coming summer. Just remembering, Ryo sat up and pulled Rika with him, finding the brown paper bag of cookies Rika's grandmother had given him. "Hey," he smiled at her. "Want some cookies? Haven't got any milk with me… but the cookies smelled really good when your grandma gave them to me."

Rika's eyes shifted up to look at him. "You have my grandmothers' cookies?"

He nodded. "Long story, but yeah. Want some?"

"Are you kidding?" She laughed, his heart jumped into his throat at hearing the sound. "My grandmother makes the single best cookies on the planet! What kind was she baking?"

The paper bag crinkled sharply over the faded sound of traffic, as it opened the pair could still smell the chocolate. Rika's grin widened when Ryo pulled one out. "Now," he said seriously, "what have you done lately to deserve this delicious double chocolate cookie?" He was holding it loosely in his right hand, with his left arm propping him up on the grass. One of Rika's eyebrows rose as if to say 'you can't be serious'. He grinned saucily at her and waved the cookie back and forth a few times.

Rika looked him in the eye and leaned forwards, nuzzling his nose a second with hers before kissing him. Ryo's eyes popped open, and in his moment of complete shock, she snagged the cookie and took a big, smug bite.

I'll be true, I'll be useful, I'll be cavalier,
I'll be yours my dear

I'll belong to you

If you just let me through

It was while she was sitting there, smugly swallowing her victory bite that he caught her unawares. Faster then her eyes could register he rolled forwards and wrapped his arms around her waist, his momentum carrying them in a log roll for a few seconds before he stopped them, Rika pinned neatly beneath him. "Gotcha." He whispered in her ear, and kissed her gently. She wiggled her arms free and latched them around his neck, pulling him closer and returning the kiss; double chocolate cookie forgotten on the grass beside them.

This is easy as lovers go

So don't complicate it by hesitating

It was late when the pair walked the last remaining block to Rika's house, Ryo's arm wrapped around her waist. They stopped silently at the gate, and Ryo brought his other arm around her, hugging her tightly. "So," he started with the smirk once again on his face. "I guess that means we're still on for sushi?"

Rika laughed quietly, and pushed herself up onto her toes to reach his lips. She placed a small kiss there, and grinned. "Yeah, you could say that."

They embraced once more, and then Rika turned and opened the gate, strolling down the short walk before sliding the door open. Her back was straight, and her step sure, once she'd started walking away, she didn't look back. Ryo leaned on the side of the open gate and smiled to himself. That's my girl.

This is wonderful as loving goes
This is tailor-made what's the sense in waiting?

It was a Friday when everyone managed to get together, and a kind of celebratory picnic meal had been made for after school by Kenta, Jeri and Takato. They assembled in one of the fields at the park, and promptly set about doing severe damage to the pastries, cookies, sandwiches, and other random munchies.

"I still can't believe we made it." Henry said, shaking his head and taking a bit of his freshly unwrapped pastry. "We took on something pretty incredible, and I think that might truly be the last of it."

Kenta nearly choked on his sandwich. Once he'd managed to swallow he practically screamed: "Don't say that you'll jinx it!"

The Tamers cracked up as Kenta took a long swig of pop to clear his throat better. With his airway appropriately clear, Kenta took a minute to just look at the others sitting around him. Rika had installed herself next to Ryo. Next to Rika was Suzi, her pink vest lying behind her patched with different shades of pink fabric. To her left sat Takato and Jeri, amiably sharing a bag of salt and vinegar chips. To their left sat Kazu, visor on crooked, arm in a sling, foot in a cast. They'd all bee so shocked to see the two Tamers arrive at school a few days ago, Kazu bandaged and Ryo grumbling about 47 stitches. When they'd related their sides of the story, and Henry had told them about his latest e-mail from Meiko, they all agreed that even if the explanation to their presence wasn't completely understandable, it was a moot point.

Kenta was pulled out of his thoughts as Suzi expertly tossed a pastry at him. He ducked just in time, and the pastry sailed over his right shoulder, landing with a soft 'rustle in the grass behind him. She laughed, a light, giggly laugh, and Kenta wondered vaguely how to ask Henry if his younger sister was off-limits.

This is easy as lovers go
So don't complicate it by hesitating

Jeri poked Takato's side, making him yelp and tip over sideways. Henry raised his eyebrow at Takato and just shook his head. "You're ridiculous, you know that 'kato?"

"I am not ridiculous." Takato declared as he righted himself and promptly snagged Jeri's wrists before she could poke him again. "I'm just… ahm…" He paused to think up a better word as his girlfriend attempted to wrestle her hands free.

Ryo broke the carefree mood into a moment of sense as he voiced one of the thoughts that had been hovering at the back of his mind. "Seriously though, would you guys ever truly not want to be hit with a challenge again?" The Tamers turned one by one to look at him, and think. "I mean, sure it's more dangerous then anything else we do, but wouldn't you be even a little bit sad if we never got attacked again?"

Kazu sighed. "When you put it like that…"

"It's a bit like gambling, isn't it?" Suzi spoke up. "You deal with whatever you get."

Henry snorted indignantly. "You guys are making this sound like it's some sort of game. Need I remind everyone about a little word; casualties?"

Ryo raised his eyebrows and dropped his gaze to the grass. "One hell of a game."

"Still," Rika argued. "I can see what Ryo means. It's like a bunch of adrenaline junkies, looking for a dangerous thrill, without realizing it."

"I take offense to that remark!" Kazu pouted theatrically, crossing his good arm over the one in the white sling.

"Tamers game." Henry nodded his agreement with Rika. "Like war, but we're the generals, and the soldiers. The strategists, and the pilots."

Suzi laughed, this time it almost seemed like there was a touch of cynicism in the sound. "One hell of a game."

This is wonderful as loving goes
This is tailor-made what's the sense in waiting… ?